Murphy discharged from hospital following surgery, resumes duties as governor

Gov. Phil Murphy was discharged from the hospital Saturday after he underwent hours-long surgery to remove a likely cancerous tumor from his kidney three days prior, his office said Sunday morning.

Murphy’s office announced in a statement the governor “resumed the duties” of the job Saturday evening.

The governor is expected to recuperate at his Middletown home over the next couple of weeks. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver served as acting governor while Murphy was in the hospital and state officials reacted to the rising number of people to test positive for the coronavirus. At least four people in the state… Read the rest of this entry »

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Gopal: Essex County is the model he wants for Monmouth County

These men want to turn Monmouth County into South Essex County.
CD-4 Candidate Ruben Scolavino, Larry Luttrell, Senator Cory Booker, Joe Grillo, Congressman Frank Pallone, NJ Democratic Chairman John Currie and Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal.  photo via facebook

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal said that Essex County’s Government is the model he hopes to impose on Monmouth County should he ever win control of the Board of Freeholders.

Gopal and his freeholder candidates Larry Luttrell and Joe Grillo ventured north to Essex this week, hat in hand for money to fund their quest to transform Monmouth into South Essex, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.

“They have done an extraordinary job in Essex County as far as managing a county government, and it’s all Democratic,” Gopal said. “It’s a model for Monmouth to hope to achieve one day.”

Let’s take a look at what that means.

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Where was Vin?

South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross invited the “reconfigured power elite” of the state Democratic Party to dinner in Colts Neck last night, according to a report at PolitickerNJ.

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal was not there; not invited to a high powered Democratic gathering in his county.

Also not present, gubernatorial nominee and head of the party in name only, State Senator Barbara Buono.  Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, not there. U.S. Senate nominee Cory Booker represented Essex County.  Essex County Executive Joseph Divencenzo, who has endorsed Governor Chris Christie for reelection, was not invited.

Gopal would not comment on this story. He said via text that he is traveling and would call back Monday.

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A map that favors Pallone?

 The Special Senate Primaries are today.

Turnout is always low in primaries, normally held on the first Tuesday in June.  In the last competitive Democratic Senate primary, 2008 when Congressman Rob Andrews challenged incumbent Senator Frank Lautenberg because he was too old, approximately 325,000 New Jersey Democrats voted.  About 159,000 Republicans voted in the 2008 Senate primary between former Congressman Richard Zimmer and State Senator Joseph Pennacchio.

Voter turnout was always expected to be low for today’s primaries being held on the second Tuesday in August.   The polls indicate that Newark Mayor Cory Booker will easily win the Democratic primary and that former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan is essentially unopposed in the Republican primary. But no one has a historical model by which to predict voter turnout on the second Tuesday in August.

That’s why Congressman Frank Pallone has been running hard like he doesn’t believe, or care about the polls.  Pallone told MSNBC last week that the turnout will be very low, that the polls don’t mean very much at this point, and that he has a strong field operation to get his supporters to the polls.

In the last day of the primary campaign, Booker had Eva Longoria on his bus, Congressman Rush Holt went on The Colbert Report, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver picked up the last minute endorsement of the Woman Political Caucus of NJ, and Pallone rented a fleet of vans to take voters to the polls.

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Quinnipiac Poll: “Unless the sky falls, Booker can start looking for a Washington apartment”

Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vic Scudiery and Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Newark Mayor Cory Booker will be New Jersey’s next U.S. Senator if the results of the Quinnipiac poll of likely voters released this morning hold true through October 16.

Booker is leading Congressman Frank Pallone by 54%-17% in the August 13 Democratic primary with Congressman Rush Holt garnering support from 15% of the respondents and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver with 5%.  65% of Democratic voters say their choice is firm.  8% are undecided.

In the Republican primary, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan leads Dr. Alieta Eck 74%-10%.

In the October 16 special election, Booker is leading Lonegan 54%-29% among registered voters.

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Democratic Senatorial Debate

The Democratic candidates for the nomination to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg will debate tonight at 7:30 in the Dumont Television Center at Montclair State University.

The candidates are Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Speaker Sheila Oliver, Congressman Frank Pallone and Congressman Rush Holt.

The primary election is one week from tomorrow, August 13. The winner of the Democratic Primary will face off against the Republican nominee to be selected in the Republican primary also on the 13th, either former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan or Dr. Alieta Eck.

You can watch the Democratic debate here:

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Booker Opens Monmouth County Campaign Office

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the runaway front runner for the Democratic nomination to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Launtenberg, opened a campaign office in Victor Scudiery’s Airport Plaza in Hazlet today.

Booker has a commanding lead against 49% to 12% lead over Congressman Frank Pallone in the Monmouth University Poll of likely voters released earlier this week. Congressman Rush Holt gets 8% in the Monmouth Poll and Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver has support of 3% of the likely voters.  28% are undecided.  Pollster Patrick Murray classified Booker’s lead as “impregnable.”

If Booker prevails in the August 13 primary, he will face off against the winner of the Republican primary on the same day in a special election to be held on October 16.  Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan is the heavy favorite to win the Republican primary over political novice, Dr. Alieta Eck of Piscataway.

Booker’s Hazlet office is having a grand opening celebration this evening from 6-9.  The office will be open and staffed from 9-9 daily through the primary.

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Senate Candidates on the Trail

The Democratic and Republican candidates in the August 13 special U.S. Senate primary traveled throughout New Jersey to meet voters on July 4.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker toured the Jersey Shore with former Senator Bill Bradley.  Charles Measley met up with Booker in Long Branch.

Cory Booker and Charles Measley. Bill Bradley in the background, left.

Measely said he urged Booker to kick Congressman Frank Pallone’s ass.  Booker applauded and said he would.

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Plumsted Comitteeman Running For Senate In Both Primaries

Are you a Republican not satisfied with Steve Lonegan or Dr. Alieta Eck as your only choices in the special primary for U.S. Senate?

Maybe you’re a Democrat who has never tweeted with Cory Booker, don’t like the big government approach that Frank Pallone and Rush Holt espouse and can’t figure out why Sheila Oliver is running.

Maybe your devastated that Joe Ruddy Rullo decided not to run as an Independent after all, so far, as of now.

Plumsted Township Committee Jack Trotta has a solution for you.  Write him in on August 13 in whichever primary you vote in.

Trotta, a Republican, is running with the support of Assemblyman Ron Dancer and Plumsted Mayor David Leutwyler, according to Tri-Town News.

Trotta’s platform?  He’s middle-class and thinks there should be a middle-class vote in the Senate.

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Both GOP Candidates Favor Marriage Equality

The two candidates competing for the Republican nomination to complete the late U. S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s term favor same sex marriage being legal.

Reacting to the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan said,

“Today’s decision is the unfortunate result of an activist, liberal court that has little respect for the Constitution and our nation’s founding principles. While I believe government should not be in the business of marriage, it is not the Supreme Court’s responsibility to make that decision. Laws should be made by legislatures, not by unelected judges. To do so is a usurpation of our democratic tradition at the heart of this country’s founding.”

I wonder if Lonegan would have called the decision “unfortunate” if the Court ruled that the government should not be in the business of marriage.

UPDATE  A few readers have mentioned that Lonegan’s statement does not make it clear that he favors marriage equality.  Here it is: While I believe government should not be in the business of marriage ….

If government doesn’t regulate marriage and who can get married, than same sex couples can be married.

Dr. Alieta Eck said,

“While I personally believe that traditional marriage is an important institution to defend, the Supreme Court was correct in rejecting a federal attempt to define it. Marriage is a religious institution. There was a time when the general consensus agreed with organized religion, but those times have passed. We must never abandon the Constitution in guarding equal protection and free association under the law.”

The four candidates competing for the Democratic Senate nomination, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Congressman Frank Pallone, Congressman Rush Holt and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver also support marriage equality.

The Democratic and Republican nominations for Senate will be decided in special primaries to be held on August 13.  The new senator will be elected in a special election to be held on October 16.

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